Secret Vampire
by purewingz
Summary: Sakura is dying. But her best friend, syaoran, can offer her eternal life. She has always secretly loved himnow he can open the door to the Night World, and spirit her into the lonely dark universe.But can she follow him into Death... and beyond?
1. Chapter 1

Authors note:

Hello! This is my first fanfic and I'm adapting it from L.J Smith's book 'Secret Vampire'. I apologize if I have made any mistakes and would appreciate it with you give me suggestions on how I can improve. Please remember to R&R! Thank you and God bless.

* * *

The Night World… Love was never so scary.

The Night World isn't a place. It's all around us. It's a secret society of vampires, werewolves, witches and other creatures of darkness that live among us. They're beautiful and deadly and irresistible to humans. Your high school teacher could be one, and so could your boyfriend,

The Night World Laws say its okay to hunt humans. It's okay to toy with their hearts, it's even okay to kill them, there are only two things you can't do with them.

Never let them find out the Night World exists.

Never fall in love wit one of them.

These are the stories about what happens when the rules get broken

* * *

CHAPTER 1 

By: Purewingz

It was the first day of summer vacation that Sakura found out she was going to die.

It happened on Monday, the first _real_ day of vacation (the weekend didn't count). Sakura woke up late as usual and feeling glorious and weightless and thought, _No school_. Sunlight was streaming in the window, turning the hangings around her bed filmy gold. Sakura pushed them aside and jumped out of bed-and winced.

Ouch. That pain in her stomach again. Sort of a gnawing, as if something were eating its way out towards her back. It helped a little if she bent over.

No, Sakura thought, I simply _refuse_ to be sick during the summer vacation. I absolutely _refuse_. A little power of positive thinking is what's needed here.  
Grimly, doubled over-think positive, idiot! -She made her way down the hall to the turquoise-and-gold tiled bathroom. At first, she thought she was going to throw up, but then the pain eased as suddenly as it had come. Sakura straightened and regarded her tousled reflection triumphantly.

"Stick with me, kid, and you'll be fine," she whispered to it, and gave it conspiratorial wink. Then she leaned forward, seeing her large emerald narrow in suspicion. There on her nose were four freckles. Four and a half, if she were completely honest, which Sakura Kinomoto was. How childish, how-_cute_! Sakura stuck her tongue out at herself and then turned away with great dignity, without bothering to comb the wild auburn curls that clustered over her head.

She maintained the dignity until she got to the kitchen, where Touya, her elder brother, was reading the newspapers. Then she narrowed her eyes again, this time at him. It was bad enough to be small, slight and wavy-haired-to look, in fact, as much like an elf as anything she'd ever seen sitting on a buttercup in a children's picture book-but to have a twin brother who was tall, dark and handsome… well, that just showed a certain deliberate malice in the makeup of the universe, didn't it?

"Hello, Touya," she said in a voice heavy with menace.

Touya, who was used to his sister's moods was unimpressed. He lifted his gaze from the comic section of the newspaper for a moment, Sakura had to that he had nice eyes; emerald eyes with very dark lashes (A/N I needed to change the color of Touya's eyes to fit the story. Haha). They were the only things the siblings had in common.

"Hi, Kaiju," Touya said with a sly smile, and went back to his comics. Sakura scowled. Not many kids Sakura knew read the papers, but that was Touya for you. Like Sakura, he'd been a junior in Tomeada High (A/N I needed to change Touya's age too…) last year, and unlike Sakura, he'd made straight A's while starring in the football team, the hockey team, and the baseball team. Also serving as class president. Sakura never had seen the point of joining so many clubs. She was already in the cheerleading club, gymnastics club and choir and that was already too many. One of Sakura's greatest joys in life was teasing him. She thought he was too straight laced.

Just now she giggled and shrugged, giving up the menacing look. "Where's mom and dad?"

"Dad's at work. Mom's getting dressed. You'd better eat something or she'll get on your case"

"Yeah, yeah…" Sakura went on tiptoe to rummage through a cupboard. Finding a box of Frosted Flakes, she thrust her hands in and delicately pulled out a flake. She ate it dry.

It wasn't all bad being short and elfin. She did a few dance steps to the refrigerator, shaking the cereal box in rhythm.

"I'm a …sex pixie!" she sang, giving it a foot-stomping rhythm.

"No, you're not," Touya said with devastating calm. "And why don't you put some clothes on?"

Holding the refrigerator door open, Sakura looked down at herself. She was wearing the oversized t-shirt she'd slept in. it covered her like a mini-dress. "This _is_ clothes," she said serenely, taking a Diet Coke from the fridge.

There was a knock at the kitchen door. Sakura saw who it was through the screen.

"Hi, Syaoran! C'mon in."

Syaoran Li came in, taking off his wrap-around Ray-Bans. Looking at him, Sakura felt a pang-as always. It didn't matter that she had seen him everyday, practically, for the past ten years. She still felt a quick sharp throb in her chest, somewhere between sweetness and pain, when first confronted with him every morning.

It wasn't just his good looks. He had dark brown hair and intense and cool amber eyes. He was the handsomest boy at Tomoeda High but that wasn't what Sakura responded to. It was something inside him, something mysterious and compelling and out of reach. It made her heart beat faster and her skin tingle.

Touya felt differently. As soon as Syaoran came in, he stiffened and his face became cold. Electric dislike flashed between the boys.

Then Syaoran smiled faintly, as if Touya's reaction amused him. "Hi."

"Hi," Touya said, not thawing in the least. Sakura had a strong sense that he'd like to bundle her up and rush up to her room. Touya always overdid the protective brother bit when James was around. "So how's Jacklyn and Michaela?" he added nastily.

Syaoran considered. "Well, I don't really know."

"You don't know? Oh, yeah, you always drop your girlfriends just before summer vacation. Leaves you free to maneuver, right?"

"Of course," Syaoran said blandly. He smiled.

Sakura, for her part, was seized with joy. Goodbye Jacklyn; Goodbye Michaela. This was going to be a wonderful summer.

Many people thought Sakura and Syaoran's relationship was platonic. This wasn't true. Sakura had known for years that she was going to marry him. It was one of her two great ambitions, the other being to see the world. She just hadn't got to informing Syaoran yet.

"Is that a new CD?" she said, to distract him from his future brother-in-law.

Syaoran hefted in. "it's the new Ethnotechno release."

Sakura cheered. "More Tuva throat singers-I can't wait. Let's go listen to it." But just then her mother walked in. Sakura's mother was cool, auburn-haired and perfect, like some heroine in a comic book (A/N changed Nadeshiko too. In fact I changed loads of characters). She wore an expression of effortless efficiency. Sakura, heading out of the kitchen, nearly ran into her.

"Sorry-morning!"

"Hold on a minute," Sakura's mother said, getting hold of Sakura by the back of her shirt. "Good morning Touya; Good morning Syaoran," she added. Touya said good morning and Syaoran nodded, ironically polite.

"Has everyone eaten breakfast?" Sakura's mother asked, and when the boys said they had, she looked at her daughter. 'And what about you?" she said, gazing at Sakura's face.

Sakura rattled the Frosted Flakes box and her mother winced. "Why dun you at least put milk on them?"

"Better this way," sakura said firmly, but when her mother gave her a little push towards the fridge, she went and got a quart carton of low fat milk.

"What are you planning to do with your first day of freedom?' her mother asked, glancing form Syaoran and Sakura.

"Oh, I dun know." Sakura looked at Syaoran. "Listen to some music; maybe go up the hills? Or drive around up to the beach?

"Whatever you want," Syaoran said. 'We've got all summer."

The summer stretched out in front of Sakura, hot and golden and resplendent. It smelled like pool chlorine and sea salt; it felt like warm grass under her back. Three whole moths, she thought. That's forever. Three months is forever.

It was strange that she was actually thinking this when it happened.

"We could check out the new shops at the Village-" she was beginning, when suddenly, the pain struck and her breath caught in her throat.

It was bad-a deep, twisting burst of agony that made her double over.

The milk carton flew from her fingers and everything when gray.

* * *

There! Haha I finished writing one chapter. Haha. I changed quite a lot of characters and please review. It will be greatly appreciated. Thank you and god bless.

Purewingz


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note:

Hello again! I'd like to thank dbzgtfan2004, iceKhari and JennyKim319 for reviewing. Thank you so much. Please remember to R&R! Thank you and God bless.

* * *

Chapter 2

By purewingz

* * *

The Night World… Love was never so scary.

The Night World isn't a place. It's all around us. It's a secret society of vampires, werewolves, witches and other creatures of darkness that live among us. They're beautiful and deadly and irresistible to humans. Your high school teacher could be one, and so could your boyfriend,

The Night World Laws say its okay to hunt humans. It's okay to toy with their hearts, it's even okay to kill them, there are only two things you can't do with them.

1) Never let them find out the Night World exists.

2) Never fall in love wit one of them.

These are the stories about what happens when the rules get broken.

* * *

"Sakura!" Sakura could hear her mother's voice, but she couldn't see anything. Dancing black dots obscured the kitchen floor.

"Sakura, are you all right?" Now Sakura felt her mother's hands grasping her anxiously. The pain was easing and her vision was returning.

As she straightened, she saw Syaoran in front of her. His face was almost expressionless, but Sakura knew him well enough to recognize the worry in his face. Her was holding the milk carton, she realized. He must have caught it on the fly as she dropped it – _amazing reflexes_, Sakura thought vaguely. _Really amazing. _

Touya was on his feet. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I – don't know." Sakura looked around, then shrugged, embarrassed. Now she was feeling better she wished they weren't all staring at her so hard. The way to deal with pain was to ignore it, to not think about it.

"It's just this stupid pain – I think it's gastrowatchamacallit. You know, something I ate."

Sakura's mother gave her daughter a little shake. "Sakura, this is not gastroenteris. You were having some kind of pain before – nearly a month ago, wasn't it? Is this the same kind of pain?"

Sakura squired uncomfortably. As a matter of fact, the pain had never really gone away. Somehow, in the excitement of end of year activities, she'd managed to disregard it, and by now she was used to working with it.

"Sort of," she temporized. "But –"

That was enough for Sakura's mother. She gave Sakura a little squeeze and headed for the kitchen telephone. "I know you don't like doctors, but I'm calling Dr. Kaho. I want her to take a look at you. This isn't something we can't ignore."

"Oh, Mom, it's _vacation_…"

Her mother covered the mouthpiece of the phone. "Sakura, this is non-negotiable. Go get dressed."

Sakura groaned, but she could see it was no use. She beckoned to Syaoran, who was looking thoughtfully into the middle distance.

"Let's at least listen to the CD before I go."

He glanced at the CD as if he'd forgotten it, and put down the milk carton. Touya followed them into the hallway.

"Hey, buddy. You wait out here while she gets dressed."

Syaoran barely turned. "Get a life, Touya," he said almost absentmindedly.

"Just keep your hands off my sister you deve."

Sakura just shook her head as she went into her room. As if Syaoran cared about seeing her undressed. _If only_, she thought grimly, pulling on a pair of shorts out of the drawer. Syaoran was her best friend, her best friend, and she was his. But he'd never even shown even the slightest desire to get his hands on her. Sometimes she wondered if he realized that she was a girl.

Someday I'm going to _make_ him see me, she thought, and shouted out the door for him.

Syaoran came in and smiled at her. It was a smile that people rarely saw, not a taunting or ironic grin, but a nice little smile, slightly crooked.

"Sorry about the doctor thing," Sakura said.

"No. You should go." Syaoran gave her a keen glance. "Your mom's right, you know. This has been going on way too long. You've lost weight; it's keeping you up at night - "

Sakura looked at him, startled. She hadn't told him anything about how the pain was worse at night, not even him. But – sometimes Syaoran just knew things. As if he could read her mind.

"I just know _you_, that's all," he said, and then gave her a mischievous sideways glance as she stared at him. He unwrapped the CD.

Sakura shrugged and flopped on her bed, staring at the ceiling. "Anyway, I wish mom would let me have _one_ day of vacation," she said. "I wish I had a mom like yours. Mine's always worrying and trying to _fix _me."

"And mine doesn't really care if I come and go. So which is worse?" Syaoran said wryly.

"Your parents let you have your own _apartment_."

"In a building they own. Because it's much cheaper than hiring a manager." Syaoran shook his head, his eyes on the CD he was putting on the player. "Don't knock your parents, kid. You're luckier than you know."

Sakura thought about that as the CD started. She and Syaoran both liked trance – the underground electronic sound that had come from Europe. Syaoran liked the techno beat. Sakura loved it because it was _real_ music, raw and unpasteurized, made by people who believed in it. People who had the passion, not the people who had the money.

Besides, world music made her feels a part of other places. She loved the differences of it, the alieness.

Come to think off it, maybe that was what she liked about Syaoran, too. His differentness. She tilted her head to look at him as the strange rhythms of Burundi drumming filled the air.

She knew Syaoran better than anyone, but there was always something, _something_ about him that was closed off to her. Something about him that nobody could reach.

Other people took it for ignorance, or coldness, or aloofness, but it wasn't really any of those things. It was just – differentness. He was more different than any of the exchange students at school. Time after time, sakura felt that she had almost put her finger on the difference, but it had always slipped away. And more than once, especially late at night when they were listening to music or watching the oceans, she'd felt he was about to tell her.

And she'd always felt that if he did tell her, it would be something important, something as shocking and lovely as having a stray cat speak to her.

Just now she looked at Syaoran, at his clean carven profile and at his wave of dark, brown hair on his forehead, and thought, He looks sad.

"Syao, nothing's wrong, is it? I mean, at home, or anything?" she was the only person on the planet allowed to call him Syao. Not even Jacklyn or Michaela had ever tried that.

"What could be wrong at home?" he said, with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. Then he shook his head dismissively. "Don't worry about it, sakura. It's nothing important – just a relative.' Then the smile did reach his eyes, glinting there. "Or maybe I'm just worried about you," he said.

Poppy started to say, "oh, as if," but instead she found herself saying, oddly, 'are you really?"

Her seriousness seemed to strike some chord. His smile disappointed, and sakura found that they were simply looking at each other without any insulating humor between them. Just gazing into each other's eyes. Syaoran looked uncertain, almost vulnerable.

"Sakura – "

Sakura swallowed. "Yes?"

He opened his mouth – and then he got up abruptly and went to adjust her 170-watt Tallboy speakers. When he turned back, his amber eyes were dark and fathomless.

"Sure, if you were really sick, I'd be worried," he said lightly. "That's what friends are for, right?"

Sakura deflated. "Right," she said wistfully, and then gave him a determined smile.

"But you're not sick," he said. "It's just something you need to get taken care of. The doctor'll probably give you some antibiotics or something – with a big needle," he said wickedly (A/N Sakura's is afraid of injections here… Haha).

"Oh, shut up," sakura said. He knew she was terrified of injections. Just the thought of the needle entering her skin…

"Here comes your mom," Syaoran said, glancing at the door. Sakura didn't see how he could hear anybody coming – the music was loud and the hallway was carpeted. But an instant later her mother pushed open the door open.

"All right, sweetheart," she said briskly." Doctor Kaho says come right over. I'm sorry, Syaoran, but I'm going to have to take sakura away."

"That's okay. I can come back this afternoon."

Sakura knew when she was defeated. She allowed her mother to tow her to the garage, ignoring Syaoran's miming of someone receiving a large injection.

An hour later she was lying on doctor Kaho's examining table as her gentle fingers probed her abdomen. Doctor Kaho was tall and had a kind, gentle and understanding face with red hair. Somebody you could trust absolutely.

"The pain is here?" she asked.

"Yeah – but it sort of goes into my back. Or maybe I just pulled a muscle there or something…"

The gentle probing fingers moved, and stopped. Doctor kaho's face changed. And somehow, in that moment, sakura knew it wasn't a pulled muscle. It wasn't an upset stomach; it wasn't anything simple; and things were about to change forever…

* * *

Well, that's all for this chappie. Please please remember to review! I'd really appreciate comments. Thank you and God bless.

Purewingz


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